Bracket for mounting rollers on overhead doors



Sept. 11, 1951 H, B. CLARK 2,567,753

BRACKET FOR MOUNTING ROLLERS ON OVERHEAD DOORS Filed Nov. 2, 1948 BY M Patented Sept. 11, 1951 OFFICE BRACKET FOR, MOUNTING ROLLERS oN OVERHEAD DOORS I Henry B. Clark, Elizabeth, N. J.

Application November 2, 1948, Serial No. 57,991 I Claims. (Cl. 16-97) 1 This invention relates particularly to brackets or corner pieces especially designed for mounting rollers on the lowermost panel sections of .doors of the so-called overhead type such as shown in my Patent No. 2,227,571. A bracket .of this kind is shown in my copending application 'Serial Number 558,265 filed October 11, 1944 now 'Patent No. 2,471,197 issued May 24, 1949.

Doors of the overhead type usually include a plurality of panel sections hingedly connected at their edges on horizontal axes so that the panel sections may be arranged in a common plane in a door opening for closing the door and may pivotally relatively move to permit raising of .the panel sections and movement thereof from i the vertical plane into a horizontal plane over- .head for opening the doors, the panel sections being mounted on rollers running in tracks.

trate the panel section and are unsightly. Such brackets and their fastening to the door are not l as strong as is desirable and. require considerable time to apply to a door. are subjected to severe strains while the door is in open position overhead and when the pull rope These roller brackets is pulled to start the lower panel section downwardly over the curved track. Therefore, the

. screws or bolts are also subjected to severe strain .during the operation of the doorand tend to loosen and pull out as well as to splinter and disfigure the wood adjacent to the screws or bolts. The lower corners of the door are more exposed to water than other parts of the door, due to splashing and dripping of rain and wash water, and the water easily enters the holes around" loose bolts so as to promote decay of the door.

. Also the brackets being bolted on the door sections cannot be removed or interchanged conveniently. Furthermore, the lower corners of v the door are subjected to blows upon striking the sill or floor as the door is lowered, which tends to split and deface the door.

A prime object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved sectional bracket,

or comer piece, especially designed for use on 2 the lowerv corners of the lowermost panel section of the door for mounting the roller and for protecting the corner of the door. v

Another object is to provide a bracket of this kind that is easily positioned on the corner of the panel section without danger of damaging the material of the panel section and that serves to reinforce and protect the panel section at the corner where mounted.

Another object is to provide a sectional bracket of this kind that is easily assembled and that readily accommodates itself to the corner of the panel section.

Another object is to provide a sectional bracket or corner piece for the lowermost panel section of the'door, one of which sections is provided with an improved integrally formed roller carrier that cannot be 'J'arred out of position and that is adapted to be interchangeable for use with the corner bracket and to be used at either the righthand or left hand corner of the panel section.

Another object is to provide such an improved sectional bracket with novel means for securing the sections of the bracket to the panel section whereby the strainsincident to operation'of the door will be transmitted to the panel section directly through the bracket sections rather than through screws or bolts sothat the tendency to pull the bolts or screws out of the panel section and consequent splintering or cracking'of the :material of the panel sections is reduced to'a minimum.

' with the panel section, and fastening members such as screwsshall be'required merely to prevent displacement of the bracket sections from each other and from such interlocked relation wit the panel section.

; Another object is to provide a bracket or corner pieceof this kind that is simple and rugged in construction, inexpensive neat in appearance.

Other objects and advantages of my invento manufacture and tion will be a parent from the description thereof to follow taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of a part of the lowermost panel section of an overhead door with a bracket or corner piece mounted thereon embodying my. invention.

Figure 2 is an edge view thereof.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 55 of Figure 1.

In my Patent No. 2,227,571, I have shown and described an overhead door comprising a plurality of panel sections including the lowermost panel section togetherwith the rollers and tracks and the chains or cables for counterbalancing the door. For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the present invention in connection with an overhead door that includes a plurality of panel sections A, preferably formed of wood, only the right-hand corner portion of the lowermost panel section being shown.

On each of the lower right-hand and left-hand corners, of the lowermost panel section, I provide a bracket or corner piece which is preferably formed of sheet metal. The brackets 'or corner pieces are identical except one is right-handed and the other left-handed.

The bracket or corner piece consists of two sections, an upper section I and a lower section 2 as viewed in Figure 1. The upper section I comprises a fiat plate substantially rectangular in shape and formed along one of its long edges for substantially its length with an integral flange 3 perpendicular to the plane of the body of the plate- The free edge of the flange is bent perpendicularly to the plane of the flange to form a tongue member I extending parallel to the body of the plate. Flange 3 at one end is enlarged as indicated at 5 and is provided with an opening 6. At a point remote from one end, the plate is formed with an outstruck lip I centrally of the 'width of the body of the plate and having its main portion in spaced and parallel relation to the face of the body of the plate and extending toward the adjacent edge of the plate. An pening 8 is provided in the plate at each side of the lip I.

The lower section 2 comprises a plate shorter and narrower than the upper plate I. At one end the plate 2 is formed with an integral flange S' perpendi'cular to the body of the plate. The free edge of the flange is bent perpendicular to the plane of the flange forming an integral tongue member ID which extends parallel to the body of the plate. At its other end, the plate 2 is formed with a slotted portion I I provided with notches I2 in its side walls. On each side of the slotted portion, the plate is formed with an opening I-3. Midway its ends, plate 2 is bent upon itself to form a tubular casing or bearing portion The bracket sections are mounted on the lowermost panel section A by slipping the lower plate or section 2 transversely over the rear surface of the panel section, at its bottom end, adjacent one of its corners, for example, the right-hand corner as viewed in Figure 1. When so positioned, the body of the plate is spaced slightly from the lower rear surface of the panel section but its flange portion 9 extends forwardly of the panel section in abutting relation with the lower edge I of said panel section, and the tongue member ID fits in a groove I6 in said lower edge as seen in Figure 4.

The upper plate or section I is slipped transversely over the side edge I1 and rear surface of the panel section just above the lower plate with its body portion in contacting relation with said rear surface, its flange '3 extending forwardly 4 of the panel section and in contacting relation with the side edge I1 and with its tongue member 4 fitted in a groove I8 formed in said side edge. Plate I is slid downwardly between the lower plate 2 and the rear surface of the panel section until its outstruck lip 1 slides over the slotted portion II of the lower plate 2 and becomes interlocked therewith and until its bottom edge seats on the inner surface of the flange 9 of the lower plate. At this time, the openings 8 and I3 in the lower and upper plates, respectively, are in register for receiving screws I9 or other suitable fastening members. These screws together with a screw 20 in an opening in upper plate I adjacent its top edge secure the plates I and 2 to the panel section and prevent displacement of the plates relative to each other and to the panel section, especially in an oblique direction that would cause disengagement of the flanges and tongues from the edges of the panel section,

The tongue and groove connections permit an interlocking of the parts without liability 01 damage to the panel section as will be understood.

The notches I2 in the slotted portion II of the lower plate 2 permit slight lateral adjustment of the plates with respect to each other for bringing the plates to proper relative position.

It will be noted that the position and arrangement of the outstruck lip 1 of the upper plate I and the position and arrangement of the slotted portion II of the lower plate 2 are such that said lower plate may be used with the plate I on either the right-hand corner or the left-hand corner.

The tubular bearing portion I4 of the plate 2 receives an axle 0r pintle 2I which mounts a roller 22. The lower plate 2 thus serves as a carrier for the roller, which isadapted to move on a track 23 extending from the top to the bottom of the door frame at each side thereof.

The dooris slid upwardly and downwardly along the tracks 23 and such movements are counterbalanced by a cable or the like 24 associated with a spring or springs (not shown) as usual at each side of the door. Cable 24 is anchored to the side edge of the lower panel section by means of a screw 25 extending through an opening in the extension 5 of the flange 3 of the upper plate and into the material of the wooden panel section A. The lower end of the cable is provided with an eye member 26 through which the screw extends, the head of the screw being sufficiently large to prevent passage through the eye member. By reason of this construction, the cable is securely fastened and may be readily attached and detached.

What I claim is:

1. A bracket for mounting a roller on the lower panel section of an overhead door, said bracket comprising an upper plate and a lower plate, means for securing said plates on the face of such a panel section, the upper plate being formed for connection to an element for attachment of one end of a cable to the panel section, and the lower plate having an integral bearing member for the axle of a roller, said upper plate having. a portion overlapping the lower plate for transmitting strains imposed on the lower plate to the upper plate.

2. A bracket for mounting a roller on the lowermost panel section of an overhead door having at one corner adjacent side and bottom edges at angles to each other and to the face of the panel section and each formed with a groove in spaced relation to said face, said bracket comprising an upper plate to abut the face of such a panel section and having a flange on one edge to abut the vertical edge of the panel section, said flange having a tongue projecting from its free edge to nicely fit in the groove in the vertical edge of the panel section, a lower plate having a flange along one edge and a tongue on the free edge of said flange to nicely fit in the groove on the horizontal edge of the panel section, said lower plate also having a bearing for the axle of a roller, whereby said flanges and tongues will hold said bracket against movement relatively to the panel section in directions at angles to the plane of the panel section and said flanges will prevent movement of said bracket in all directions inwardly of the panel section and parallel to the plane thereof.

and fastening means for holding said bracket one corner adjacent side and bottom edges at angles to each other and to the face of the panel section and each formed with a groove in spaced relation to said face, said bracket comprising an upper plate to abut the face of such a panel section and having a flange on one edge to abut the vertical edge of the panel section, said flange having a tongue projecting from its free edge to nicely fit in the groove in the vertical edge of the panel section, a lower plate having a flange along one edge and a tongue on the free edge of said flange to nicely fit in the groove on the horizontal edge of the panel section, said lower plate also having a bearing for the axle of a roller, whereby said flanges and tongues will hold said bracket against movement relatively to the panel section in directions at angles to the plane of the panel section and said flanges will prevent movement of said bracket in all directions inwardly of the door and parallel to the plane thereof, said plates having openings therethrough to receive fastening members for holding the bracket on such a panel section against such movement as would disengage said flanges from said edges of the panel section, the upper plate having a portion overlapping said lower plate in contact therewith.

, 4 A bracket for mounting a roller on the lowermost panel section of an overhead door having at one corner adjacent side and bottom edges at angles to each other and to the face of the panel section and each formed with a groove in spaced relation to said face, said bracket, comprising an upper plate to abut the face of such a panel section and having a flange on one edge to abut the vertical edge of the panel section, said flange having a tongue projecting from its free edge to nicely fit in the groove in the vertical edge of the panel section, a lower plate having a flange along one edge and a tongue on the free edge of said flange to nicely fit in the groove on the horizontal edge of the panel section, said lower plate also having a bearing for the axle of a roller, whereby said flanges and tongues will hold said bracket against movement relatively to the panel section in directions at angles to the plane of the panel section and said flanges will prevent movement of said brackets in all directions inwardly of the door and parallel to the plane thereof, and fastening means for holding said bracket against such movement as would disengage said flanges from the edges of the panel section, said upper plate having an outstruck lip overlapping the edge portion of the lower plate opposite said flange of the lower plate.

5. A bracket as defined in claim 2 wherein said flange of the upper plate is formed for connection to an element for attachment of one end of a cable to such panel section.

HENRY B. CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

